A Cardano block is a collection of transactions that are grouped together and verified as a unit. It's similar to a page in a ledger. Each block contains a hash, which is a unique cryptographic code that identifies the block and its contents. Once a block is created, it's added to the blockchain, which is a public, distributed database. This process is known as block production. The creation of new blocks is carried out by staking pools, which are groups of individuals who contribute their ADA to secure the network. Blocks play a crucial role in the Cardano network by recording transactions, ensuring security, and providing a historical record.
Block 8580503 Details
Epoch: 402 Number of transactions in block: 26 slot_no: 88553636 epoch_slot_no: 252836 block_no: 8580326 slot_leader_id: 4597776 size: 48514 time: 2023-03-29 19:58:47 proto_major: 8 proto_minor: 0 hash: \xa1cbc8c9c955972377e36985fa26f61e32bb7c38c8be84281950b1d872dac0d2Block Operator
vrf_key: vrf_vk12yhs6pf5krcnnaedcvex2puny3eda8p9n349ug3rlxf8y63pph9swqv8x5 op_cert: \x53f3ac137aa3afcf44ab9e7fc5087e364bf2be51bda0eb38f1b5a4d0ec4ca45c op_cert_counter: 11